Fire-escape.



Patented Sept. l2, |899.

L. A. BOEHME.

FIRE ESCAPE.

(Application filed June 2Q, 1899.)

CND Model.)

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TiOUlS A. .BOEHME OF CHICAGO, lLTilNOlS.

FIREESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 632,692, dated September 12, 1899,

i Application filed J'nne 29,1899. Serial No. 722,215l (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

15e itknown that I, LOUIS A. BOEHME, a citizen oi the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of which the followinvf is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in fire-escapes, and has for its objects to provide an improved clamp adapted to be attached to a rope leading from a window or other support to the ground 5 to provide means for easily and quickly regulating the degree of pressure exerted on the rope by the clamp, so that the speed of the descent of such clamp may be such as is desired by the user 5 to provide a loop attached to said clamp the size of which can be regulated in order to aid in forcing the clamp against the rope more or less, as may be desired, and to improve generally the construction and operation of devices of this character. I accomplish these objects as illustrated in the accompanying drawings and as hereinafter more fully explained.

That which I claim as new will be set forth in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side eleva! tion of my improved device attached to a rope. 2 is a vertical section through the device that is attached to the supporting-loop suspended from the clamp for regulating the size of such loop. Fig. 3 isa section on line :o :c of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail of the device for tightening the clamp on the rope, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of my device as applied in use.

1n the several iigures of the drawings corresponding parts are indicated by like reference-numerals- 6 7 indicate the two parts of a clamp, the inner face of each being hollowed out so that when the two parts are together, as in Fig. 1, there will be formed a passage through the clamp from end to end, adapted to receive a rope. This rope-passage is sinuous in shape, corresponding in its curvings to the outer edges of the parts 6 7, as shown in Fig. 1. It

is evident, however, that the outer edges of such parts need not correspond in shape to thc curves of the sinuous passage, as parts with straight outer edges could of course be employed and the sinuous passage formed in. such parts. The passage referred to is indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, and a portion of it is shown at 7a in Fig. 4.

8 9 indicate arms formed with or rigidly se cured to the parts 6 7, respectively, of the clamp. These arms extend laterally from the clamp, and each is provided at its outer end with an eye 10, through which a ropes end may be passed and secured. Other rope-attaching means may of course be provided instead of the eyes 10.

11 indicates a screw passing through a boss 12 on the upper side and near the outer end of the arm 9 and held in place by a small pin 13, passing through such boss and entering a groove 14 in the unthreaded portion of the screw, as best shown in Fig. it. 'l

15 indicates a nut on the screw 11, which is adapted to be moved back and forth by the turning of the screw, it being prevented from turning on such screw in the construction shown by bearing against the upper edge of the arm 9. This nut is provided on opposite sides with two short studs, one of which is indicated by 16.

17 indicates a hook or catch which,as shown, is formed of a single piece of material bent upon itself and pivotally secured to the part 6 of the clamp bybeing passed through a hole 18 near the lower end of such part. Its ends are formed into hook shape and engage the studs 16 on the movable nut l5. The upper ends of the clamp.are.removably secured together by a hook 19, formed as is the hook or catch 17 and similarly pivoted in place by passing through a hole near the upper end of the part 6. Its hook ends are adapted tc engage studs 20, one of which is seen in Fig. l.

21 indicates a rope adapted to be secured to a window, as represented in Fig. 5, or otherwise and uponwhich the clamp 6 7 is secured.

22 indicates a rope formed into a loop, its ends being attached to the outer ends of the arms 8 0 by means of the eyes 10 in such arms.

23 indicates a slide through which the loop 22 passes, two bearing-pieces 24 25 being e1nployed within the slide to bear against the rope, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

26 indicates a set-screw passing through IOO one wall of the slide and adapted to force the bearing-pieces and the rope into close engagement, thus securing the slide tightly in place. The loop is thus enabled to be made of varying sizes.

27 indicates a hook the stem of which is bent to surround the slide 23, the upperportion of such bent stem passing, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, between the converging sides of the rope loop 22 and acting when a downward pull is exerted on the hook 27 to bind tightly against such sides of the loop 22, Where they enter the slide 23, and thus aid in preventing suoli slide from descending on the loop.

As will be readily understood, the parts 6 7 of the clamp can be readily disconnected one from another by detaching the hooks 17 and 19 from their respective studs and can as readily be attached in place around a rope,

the rope of course yielding to conform to and lie within the sinuous groove formed in the inner edges of the parts 6 7. When secured in place on a rope, the ease with which such clamp will slide on the rope can be regulated by turning the screw 11, for as such screw is turned to draw the movable nut 15 toward the outer end of the arm 9, and as the end of the screw bears against the side of the part 7 it is evident that by reason of the hook 17 being connectedv to the nut 15 the result must be to cause the clamp to bear more tightly against the rope. To ease up the pressure, the screw is turned in the reverse direction, which will cause the nut to move in toward the clamp.

To descend a rope by means of my device, the person using it is to attach himself by a belt to the hook 27, as indicated in Fig. 5, or he may attach to such hook any suitable basket or harness in which he can be supported and by reason of the friction of the clamp against the rope 21 can descend safely to the ground, the amount of friction between the clamp and the rope 21 being regulated by the user, as above described. The slide 23 on the rope loop 22 also enables the user to regulate the friction between the slide and the rope 21, the adjustment of such slide being made by loosening the set-screw 26 and moving the slide to the desired point, after which it will of course again be tightened. The farther up on the loop 22 that the slide is adjusted the sharper will be the angles at which the sides of the loop 22, stand and a correspondingly-increased leverage will be had on the arms S 9, so that for a light weight to be applied to the hook 27 the slide should be set toward the top of the loop. 22, while for a heavier weight the slide should be slid down and secured. The leverage on the arms 8 9 can thus be properly proportioned to the load that the hook is to bear, so that by means of this slide on the loop means are provided for augmenting the pressure of the clamp on the rope 2l, and at the same time provision is made for preventing more pressure of the bers, and a movable locking device attachedv to the other member for engaging said hook or catch so that the said members may be adjusted with reference to each other, substantially as specified.

2. A clamp comprising two members secured together and adapted to be attached to a rope, in combination with a lateral arm at or near the lowerend of each member, a screwv carried by one of said arms, a hook or catch carried by the opposite member, and means for connecting said hook or catch with said screw, whereby by the turning of the screw said two clamp members may be adjusted closer to or farther from each other, substantially as specified. Y

3. A clamp comprising two members secured together and adapted to be attached to a rope, in combination with a lateral arm at or near the lower end of each member, a screw carried by one of said arms, a nut on said screw, and a hook or catch on the opposite clamp member adapted to be connected to said nut, whereby bythe turning of the screw said two clamp members may be adjusted closer to or farther from each other, substantially as specified.

4. In a clamp for attachment to a rope, the combination with the members 6 7, provided at or near their lower ends with arms 8 9, of the hook or catch 17 pivoted to one of said members, the boss 12 on the arm 9, the screw 11 passing through such boss, the nut 15 adapted to be moved back and forth on said screw, and a stud 16 on said nut with which the hook or catch 17 is adapted to engage, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. A clamp comprising two members secured together so that they can be moved toward or away from each other and adapted to embrace a rope, in combination with an arm extending laterally at or near the lower end of each of said members, a rope in the form of a loop attached to said arms, aslide on said loop, and means for securing such slide in diierent positions on the loop, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. A clamp comprising two members secured together so that they can be moved toward or away from each other and adapted to embrace a rope, in combination with an arm extending laterally at or near the lower end of each of said members, a rope in the form of a loop attached to said arms, a slide on said loop, means for securing such slide in different positions on the loop, and means carried by such slide for the attachment of a IOO IIO

Weight, subetaintitllg"v and Vfor the purpose speoiiied.

7. A Clamp comprising two members se eured together so that they een be moved toward or away from eeelr other und adapted to embrace e rope, in Combination with en arm extendin` laterally et or near the lower end of eueh of seid members, a rope in the form oi' zr loop attached to seid arms, :i slide on said lo loop, menus For Seoul-ing suoli Slide in dil'lieri l l i 

